glee

On Thursday and Friday last week, I had to visit two different hospitals where I used to work. One trip was to spend time with the substance misuse liason nurse, and the other to try and finish off an audit I was supposed to be doing during my last job. The whole process filled me with glee that I am no longer working in hosipitals.

"Ha ha ha," I thought to myself, as a very loud alarm (possibly the fire alarm - who knows?) went off for five minutes for no observable reason, making conversation almost impossible, but not causing anybody to stop their work. "Hee hee hee," I gleefully mused, as I listened to a stressed looking SHO have a 15 minute row down the phone with another SHO about a rota swap. (although obviously I was sorry for the poor bloke.) "Ho ho ho," I chuckled when I had to eat some form of cardboard in the oppressively decorated canteen. "Ha ha ha ha!" I felt like saying, when a consultant from my previous job tried to give me a rollicking about the fact that there are discharge summaries piling up to be done in the junior doctors' office, without realising that I had actually left and didn't work there any more.
Felt like telling him that now I work in a place where people actually treat me as a fellow professional rather than some kind of naughty lazy student who needs to be told what's what.

And in all the quiet moments on my own, walking down the corridor, or washing my hands in the skin-stripping soap, and especially in the car on the way home with the windows down, I was singing a little song... It was the tune of "Bread of Heaven/ you're not singing/ are you scotland in disguise", and it went, "I don't work here, I don't work here, I DON'T WORK HERE ANY MORE!!! (any more) I don't work here any more!"

The marriage meme

I stole this meme from Charlotte, who did it for Valentine's Day. I'm a bit late, but never mind. Here is the history of my marriage, without which I know I wouldn't be as happy as I am.

1. Where/how did you meet?

Technically we met at Christian festival Spring Harvest when we were both about 10 and our families were there together, but I think we first spoke when we met during sixth form. I was 16, he was 17 and we went in a big group to watch Titanic at the cinema.

2. How long have you known each other?

That was January 1998 - so ten years!!!!!!!! scarey.

3. How long after you met did you start dating?

It was nine months later in September of that year, after much shyness, flirting and discovering that we had things in common. I had decided it wasn't a good idea to date someone who didn't share my faith, and at the time he wasn't a Christian. I started to really like him in April 98, and prayed for him for the next 5 months, until he became a Christian in Sept 98.

4. How long did you date before getting engaged?

We talked about it after 1 year, then got properly engaged after 2 years.

5. How long was your engagement?

Two years until mr me finished his degree in Birmingham.

6. How long have you been married?

5 years.

7. What is your anniversary?

6th July

8. How many people came to your wedding reception?

About 120

9. What kind of cake did you serve?

One tier fruit cake, two tiers sponge cake, if I remember rightly.

10. Where was your wedding?

We were married at St Mary's Grassendale, Liverpool, which was mr me's parish church, and was very lovely. Our reception was at the Bluecoat Arts Centre in the centre of Liverpool, which had a lovely walled garden in the middle of the city.

11. What did you serve for the meal?

It was a buffet with large joints of pork and beef, and salmon.

12. How many people were in your bridal party?

Mr me had two best men - his two best friends from primary school, and I had four bridesmaids - my sister, his sister, my best friend and another very good friend I had written to through all my teenage years.

13. Are you still friends with them?

yes.

14. Did your spouse cry during the wedding ceremony?

No, but I welled up walking down the aisle and seeing so many faces.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?

Very hard to choose just one... leaving the house with my dad ...saying our vows was pretty amazing... having time to talk in the car on the way to the reception, and realising that we really really were married.

16. Any funny moments?

One of mr me's best friends mums tried to stuff confetti down his trousers on the way out at the end, traumatising him slightly! I went rather lightheaded when the hairdressers gave me a glass of champagne when I'd been sitting under the dryer for about 2 hours.

17. Any big disasters?

Apparently the cake got knocked over, but I didn't know about it til afterwards, as they managed to restore it to its former glory.

18. Where did you honeymoon?

A cute little cottage in Cornwall. We pootled along the coast and had cream teas and paddled. It was lovely.

19. For how long?

Two weeks.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?

I would have more money now, so I would be able to have a few of the things we had to miss out on. But it was a lot of fun doing it all on a shoestring.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

The right, so I can lie on his right shoulder when he hugs me. tis the law.

22. What size is your bed?

Double - the room's not really big enough for anything else. But we have a king-size quilt.

23. Greatest strength as a couple?

We have worked out ways to communicate and negotiate, so that we hardly ever argue in a painful way any more. We have a lot of strength from our shared faith, which gives us purpose, and helps us to gradually become better and better able to lay down our lives for each other.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?

Like Charlotte - I'd say neither of us is very practical in a DIY kind of way.

25. Who literally pays the bills?

We both handle different ones. Recently I almost got us cut off by omitting to pay the phone bill for a very long time.

26. What is your song?

"Brown Eyed Girl", Van Morrison

27. What did you dance your first dance to?

"Let's stay together" by Al Green. Mr me had sworn we could only have music if I promised we didn't have to do a first dance, so I told everybody how important it was to him. However, his best men ignored him, and organised for the band to announce it, and up we had to go. That was another very special moment for me, cos I hadn't expected to get a first dance, and it was amazing. Also thought it was a pretty good choice of song, considering we didn't ask for it.

28. Describe your wedding dress?

My housemate made it for me. It was white dupion silk, just off the shoulder with a V neck and a V waist and an A line skirt. The top was boned and had an embroidered panel down the front.

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?

White roses for the bridesmaids and I had white roses with purple other things mixed in. And pretty little ones that I think are called wax flowers in my hair.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved?

No. What a dull last question.